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牛刀小試

简牛刀小试 · 繁牛刀小試

Mandarin · pinyin niú dāo xiǎo shì

see 小試牛刀 xiǎo shì niú dāo

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Characters in this entry

牛: niú · cow, ox, bull; Kangxi radical 93; 9th lunar mansion, determinative star β Capricorni (Dabih)
刀: dāo · knife; old coin; measure
小: xiǎo · small, tiny, insignificant
試: Look up this written character
试: shì · test, try, experiment

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–1–3–4 · niu2 dao1 xiao3 shi4

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links1source reference

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

牛刀小試 · find source passages ↗ · 牛刀小试 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngau4 dou1 siu2 si3

Cantonese word readings for 牛刀小試. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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